Abstract
This study qualitatively examines the religious and spiritual dimensions of cutting down and stopping cocaine use among African Americans in rural and urban areas of Arkansas. The analyses compare and contrast the narrative data of 28 current cocaine users living in communities where the Black church plays a fundamental role in the social and cultural lives of many African Americans, highlighting the ways that participants used religious symbols, idiomatic expression, and Biblical scriptures to interpret and make sense of their substance-use experiences. Participants drew on diverse religious and spiritual beliefs and practices, including participation in organized religion, reliance on a personal relationship with God, and God's will to cut down and stop cocaine use. Our findings suggest that culturally sensitive interventions addressing the influence of religion and spirituality in substance use are needed to reduce cocaine use and promote recovery in this at-risk, minority population.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 94-113 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Journal of Drug Issues |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2014 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by grant RO1 DA026837 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to Dr. Tyrone Borders.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by grant RO1 DA026837 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to Dr. Tyrone Borders.
Funders | Funder number |
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National Institute on Drug Abuse |
Keywords
- African American
- Cocaine use
- Religion
- Rural/urban
- Southern United States
- Spirituality
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Psychiatry and Mental health